Vale's Private Eye: the Case of the Fallen Hero
by Alarid
Summary: In this gritty noir telling of life in a crime-ridden Vale, a savvy snoop gets to the bottom of an intriguing case: Garet, the erstwhile hero and mob boss, has been murdered! Follow our detective as he gathers clues, runs into old friends, runs from old enemies, and finally cracks the case with the help of both.


Cold, hard winter sleet pattered against the grimy window, the space heater was on its last leg, and I was on my last pack of cigarettes. I was just thinking about calling it a day - it was a few days before Kradenmas after all - when a dame knocked on my door.

She was a foxy lady, and I had seen her around Vale before. I took a look at her from underneath my old hat and did a quick study. Aside from being hysterical (like most dames), she seemed well-cared for, sleek, and confident. There was something familiar about her that I just couldn't place. She was wearing a red dress with pumps that reminded me of crowbars. A boa situated around her neck was possibly contributing to her hyperventilation. I loosened the thing, poured her a shot of bourbon, and had her sit down.

I asked the dame what brought her in. She poured herself another shot and took a deep breath.

"My husband has been missing for three days, and I don't know where to find him!" she breathed, only a little bit more calm than she was when she had beat the snare drum part of a march on my office door.

I told her that Vale was a big city, and it was easy for people to get lost, but that I'd see what I could dig up on her beau. She thanked me a thousand times and laid a stack of greenbacks adding up to twice that sum on my desk. I raised my eyebrows. Hadn't even brought up fees with her yet.

"Please, find him! He means the world to me." Now I don't mean to say that I've got a heart of stone, but those Franklins on the desk spoke to me much more profoundly than the dame. Before I could say another word, she left. After twenty minutes of being confused and trying to remember who she was I closed up shop and bought a hundred Lucky Strikes from Freddy's shop downstairs.

"Crazy broad in red just came in here and bought a fifth," he told me. I told him that she was a client of mine. "More'n a client, you crazy gumshoe," he said. "Though few people recognize Feizhi these days."

It hit me. The dame was Feizhi. I shoulda seen it right away. But she had dyed her hair, and she was wearing her husband's favorite color. She always loved the heck out of Garet. Still, nobody that looked at Feizhi's eyes forgot 'em. It was her eyes that I had recognized. They said that the old hobo, Hsu, would talk to anybody about Feizhi's eyes before a grumpy mobster took the sap out one night. They said his last words were "I want to scream. But Feizhi does not like it when I do that."

I said goodbye to Freddy and took a long drag on a cigarette. Vale had become a big town since the Golden Sun rose. There were more people, and they were crowded. Sometimes people rubbed shoulders too hard, and things happened. People got hurt in Vale, and most of the time it happened when people's heads were turned. That don't sit well with most types, and there was a big demand for people that could get answers. That's how I carved out my business as a private eye. Only somebody with loose morals and a lenient code of honor could deal with the underside of Vale's populace. Somebody like me. So I had a steady stream of business, but there were droughts. I thanked my lucky stars that Feizhi had come when she had. Groceries were gonna be slim the next week.

Like I usually do when I'm just starting a case, I followed my stomach. I ended up at a pub in the Cliff District. It was a filthy place with more rats than customers. I ordered a reuben and an ale at the counter. A man was muttering next to me. There were several empty glasses in front of him. He was an old partner of mine, and despite his state of inebriation, he recognized me.

"Well, if it isn't you," he hiccupped. I flipped him a dime and told him to catch a buggy home. "I don't need your help!" he snapped with the slow clarity of a dedicated alcoholic. He tried to buy a drink with the change, but the barkeep told him that he was closing up.

"And that goes for you too," he said to me and my half-eaten reuben. "I don't want no trouble here." The sandwich tasted like ash anyway, but I realized that I hadn't taken the cigarette out of my mouth as I was eating. Habits. I finished the sandwich quickly while my old friend drifted into a semiconscious state. I told the barkeeper that I'd take care of him, and I meant it. Nothing's worse to see than a broken old friend. After I dropped him off at his good mother's house, I went back home. Didn't feel like working for the rest of the night.

* * *

**CASE FILE - END OF DAY 1**

Facts: Feizhi reported husband, Garet, missing for three days. She presumes him dead and thinks that he's a devoted and loving husband that wouldn't leave her side. Garet is known to have several mistresses and runs a prostitution ring.

Leads: Before she saw him last, Feizhi says Garet had told her he was Kradenmas shopping for her and the kids. Unfortunately, that's almost certainly an alibi.

* * *

The next day I didn't even go into my office, and went straight back to the Cliff District. That was where Garet ran his business. His thugs know me. I've had to dig up dirt on Garet before. When I saw that I was being trailed by some former henchmen, I made for the nearest pub. Pubs help me think more clear. Must be the smoke. The thugs didn't waste much time with small talk. They picked stools on either side of me.

"Hey, listen up kid," one of 'em sniffed at me. "We don't like you around here. You'd better leave."

I told him that I was on a job for Feizhi, and that I had to pay the bills somehow. He didn't like that too much, but he didn't argue the point. I was a veteran snoop, and everybody in the underworld of Vale knew it. Figuring that I might as well make the most of the situation, I bought a round for the boys and asked them how their boss was doing.

"Shit, buddy," he said, more amiable with some gin under his nose, "ain't nobody seen him in four days now. Four days, man. It ain't like Garet to be so flaky. I don't like it. I ain't a high-up, so it ain't my business to think, but I'm startin' to think that" - he lowered his voice - "one of his old enemies finally caught up with 'im." He punctuated this speech by draining his pint in one go.

I made a mental note, but said nothing, aside from ordering another round. Feizhi's advance payment was coming in handy.

"I dunno," said the other friend. "Garet's got a lot of friends and enemies both in this here town. He knows who's safe and he knows who wants to blow his face off. He's such a careful guy, and, well, he'd be hard to take down fairly."

It was true. This was looking more and more like foul play. I thanked the boys for their time, bought them one more round, and left. It's good to make friends. My next destination was the district where Felix ran his own ring of criminal businesses. Garet's cronies seemed to think that Felix was behind this latest deed. But before I could get too far, a scrawny kid tossed a rag at me, screaming "extra, extra." I looked at the paper. Garet's body had been found stashed in the river. I made a beeline for my office, knowing who would be there.

Sure enough, Feizhi was around. She was considerably less well-kept and groomed than she was the last time she had been in my office. Fortunately, Freddy had been able to calm her down by the time I arrived. I thanked him silently for the trouble and led the dame upstairs.

"Haven't you found anything?" she asked with tears coursing down her pretty little cheeks. I hate to see a good dame cry. I told her that I was working on a lead, and that I was just on my way to go check it out when I got the news. I gave her my sympathies and gave a sort of memorial for him. I'm not much of an eloquent speaker, but I spent a lot of time with Garet before the Golden Sun rose.

"Thank-you," she whispered after my fumbling sermon. I cleared my throat and tried to light another cigarette when I remembered that I already had one. I gave it to Feizhi instead, who accepted it gratefully. She heaved a shuddering sigh, but the cigarette was calming her down. "So," she said with her head wreathed in smoke, "what's your lead?"

I wasn't about to break it to this woman that her husband was an adulterer, pimp, and mob boss. I told her that it appeared to be a random act of violence, but that I could probably get the inside scoop from some people I knew. She thanked me again and left. I had to break out the emergency bitters after a meeting like that. Good thing I was being paid well. I left for Felix's stomping grounds.

In Felix's part of town, I was even less popular than I was in Garet's, despite the fact that I was frequently employed by them. It didn't take long for me to get jumped by some goons. They had the audacity to wear their stupid Kibombo masks, an homage to Felix's eccentric 'disguise' upon reentering Vale those decades ago. One of his maskmen and his friends jumped out at me from an alley. Fortunately, I had brought along a friend of my own.

My friend usually isn't very vocal. In fact, most of the time he stays quiet, and that's how I like it. But once in a great while, my friend is moved to give very brief and powerful speeches. My friend gave three blistering arguments to the thugs. Lead slugs tend to attract attention, though, so I made myself scarce. Before more of Felix's boys showed up, I made my way to an old flat where I knew I could get some information. Fourth floor, unit 43. Time to visit another old friend. Between talking to Feizhi, my friend at the bar, and now Aaron, this was getting to be a real trip down memory lane.

Aaron opened up. He always did. Not that he would grieve for his brother anyhow. He worked for Felix. But a brother is a brother, and I expected Aaron to play it straight with me, and I told him so.

"I don't have anything, you slimeball," he said amiably, tossing me a beer. "If Felix wanted to rub off my brother, he would have had me do it. He still hasn't figured out who I work for, and I have spaghetti with him every Friday at mom and dad's." I pointed out to Aaron that he would be too obvious of an assassin for Garet, and that Felix may have used somebody else. Aaron took this to heart.

"You know, you've got a point there," he admitted. "But I get this. I was in Felix's office when he was given the paper with the news of Garet's death. He was genuinely surprised. I think we've got ourselves a renegade here," he said leaning forward, and he took a long drag from a cigar.

* * *

**CASE FILE - END OF DAY 2**

Facts: Felix isn't behind it. Case has gone colder than a December night in Angara, but for some details in the newspaper article about his death. Garet's goons don't know anything about the death, and I bumped into a higher officer by chance later at a jazz club. He didn't know anything either. This isn't connected to the mob of Vale.

Leads: He was found in the Highland suburbs near his house. That's my next destination.

* * *

The good part about the Highlands of Vale was that few people knew me there. I didn't have to put so much effort into being unnoticed. I was able to walk right up to Dora's cottage. I knocked on the door. Dora answered.

"Come on in," she said, as gracious as she had always been. A shame Kyle had died. "Isaac's doing much better," she said. "Thank you for bringing him back from the bar. Drinking is such a nasty habit." I agreed fervently with Dora, and thanked my lucky stars again that I had brushed my teeth after my breakfast of frizzled ham and a Bloody Mary. I made small talk for a while and then asked to go see Isaac upstairs.

"Yes," she said in a hushed voice. "It must be about Garet... I know he was close to you two... go right up. Isaac's been grieving."

Grieving was an understatement. Dora hadn't been able to climb stairs in years, so she couldn't see the mess of bottles and paper bags in Isaac's bedroom. Isaac looked like he hadn't moved in days. I told him to chin up. He peered at me and took a while to recognize me.

"Mia's working for Felix, Karst was killed by Briggs after she had sex with Chaucha, Garet's gone, and Feizhi..." he trailed off, taking another gulp of whatever it was he was drinking. I picked up a bottle. It was unmarked. I asked him where he was getting this stuff, and took a sip to try it. It burned going down, which is something that no drink had been able to do to me in years.

"Freddy's," he mumbled. I repeated his admission and asked if it was the same guy that worked underneath me.

"Sure thing," he replied. "Don't know why you didn't know..." and then he dozed off again. I set him down, thanked Dora, and made a beeline for Freddy's.

Freddy's shop was empty as usual. I asked him about the liquor he sold to Isaac.

"That's, uh, some specialty stuff," he fumbled. "You shoulda asked me if you wanted some... I figured since you were a working man, you weren't interested..." I bought a few bottles and went to go upstairs to think. It was then that I noticed the Gaia Blade sitting in Freddy's pawn section. I called to him and asked about it.

"Yeah, Isaac pawned that to me five days ago," he said. "Drunker than usual when he did. Seemed eager to get rid of it... poor guy hates any reminders of the past." I asked Freddy to repeat the timeline, which he did. "What's the matter? Something up?" Something was definitely up. I told him so. I asked him if I could borrow the blade, and he said sure. I'm a special customer of his.

My suspicions were being confirmed. The blade had signatures of having being used recently. I could feel the Psynergy in it. I went back up to Dora's cottage to confirm or deny my suspicions. This was becoming a very messy case. When I walked out of Freddy's store, there were several people out there waiting for me. They were some of Felix's men. No doubt they were wanting revenge for the deeds of my friend the other day. My friend was about to defend his actions when Felix himself stepped out.

"Listen up," he said, "I'm not here to hurt you." I told him that I'd believe that when he ordered his men away. I was surprised when he actually did. Felix hardly ever dared to go around without bodyguards. He came up close to me.

"I wanna know what happened to Garet. I know Feizhi's got you on the job, and I've never known you to fail a case. I want answers." I told him that if he was so curious, that he should come with me. I was in a sour mood, and Felix could tell. I think that sobered him. He waved his thugs away, who began to act confused without a body to protect.

Felix and I made the climb up to the Foothills neighborhood.

"So, what do you have that Gaia Blade for?" he asked. "Are we taking it back to Isaac as a Kradenmas present or something?" Struck by a sudden inspiration, I asked Felix if he knew the exact spot where Garet was found. Felix had moles in the cops. He said he did and took me down to the filthy river. I used some useful Psynergy of mine and soon found an indentation in the muddy ground. My heart sank, knowing what I was about to find out. I told Felix to take the Gaia Blade and swing it. He knew I was on to something by now, and waved around the sword. As expected, a huge psynergetic claymore whirred from the sky and buried itself in the earth. I thanked Felix, took back the sword, and looked at the mark the Titan's Blade had made. It matched the one I had just found, but it was fresher. Felix swore loudly and looked at me. I told him that Isaac had pawned the sword away a few days ago. Looked like we were beyond doubt now.

It was Felix that hammered on Dora's door.

"We need to see Isaac," he demanded. It had been years since he had seen Dora. Wordless, she let us in. I nodded at her and tried not to pay attention to the pitiful Kradenmas tree in the corner. Despite being surrounded by it, poverty still makes me uncomfortable. She kept looking at the Gaia Blade, and I put it on the table hoping that I could get the truth from Isaac without having to force it from him. Isaac himself was asleep. Felix had different plans than me and picked Isaac up and shook him.

"what did you do to Garet?!" he demanded. Isaac shoved Felix and staggered back.

"I didn't fucking do anything to him! You think this is easy on me? Why the hell d'you gotta make this worse? We all miss him."

"Yeah, so why was the Gaia Blade sold a few days ago? Why did we find an impact site from Titan's Blade where Garet was found dead? Can you answer me that, Mr. Valean Hero? Mr. Owner of the Gaia Blade?" snapped Felix. But Isaac looked puzzled.

"Who sold the sword? I've been looking for that. I musta sold it when I was drunk. And what's this about...?"

But his question was cut short by a sound from the doorway.

Dora, 89 years old, stood at the top of the staircase, pointing the Gaia Blade right at me.

"You've snooped too much this time," she snarled. "You stupid kids think you had such a rough life dealing with the pressures of being heroes! You all crumbled under the pressure! Look at you! You're a low-life detective, Isaac's a drunk, Mia's a whore, Felix is a mob boss, and Garet is dead! Well, I've had to tolerate watching the only true love of my life go after that... that filthy bitch from Xian! I just couldn't stand it anymore!"

It was too much. Dora had murdered Garet. A sudden flashback occured to me. Dora and Garet hanging laundry in New Vale right after the disaster. How Dora had looked at Garet. Even then, it seemed like more than gratitude that her son's best friend was alive. But to think that 30 years later, she'd still be so bent out of shape?

"That's right!" she hollered. "I got tired of watching Garet parade around Vale like he owned the place. I got tired of seeing him with his trophy wife and his mistresses! I got tired of not having him, so I took the Gaia Blade one night while Isaac was drunk and killed Garet myself! I made Isaac think that we couldn't afford rent, so I had him sell the Blade to get it out of this house! And I don't know how you found the right pawn shop in this shitty town, but you aren't going to leave this house with your secret!"

Things were looking grim until Dora took a step forward, slipped on a bottle of alcohol, and fell. She impaled herself with the sword. It wasn't pretty. All three of us had picked dirty lifestyles, but Felix's was evidently the worst. He strolled up and removed the blade.

"Well, my friend," he said to me. "Looks like that's another case under your belt."

* * *

**CLASSIFIED - FOR FEIZHI**

Garet was murdered by Dora out of jealousy. She used Isaac's Gaia Blade and coerced Isaac to pawn it away to the shopkeeper below my office to try and remove evidence. There really isn't much else to say, other than I hope you have a merry Kradenmas, and know that Kraden rights all wrongs and heals all wounds.

**CASE CLOSED**

* * *

It's Kradenmas Eve, and I'm back in my office. They say that around the holidays, everybody gets more depressed. Maybe so. Maybe I can't tell a difference anymore. Instead of my emergency bitters stash, I now have some of Freddy's mystery grain alcohol for emergencies. So maybe it hasn't been that bad of a holiday season after all.

Vale's a big town. There are people having peaceful nights and then there are people like Feizhi. She's already on her way back to Xian with her kids. Don't blame her for wanting to get out of this town. Me... I'll stay and help people get answers. It's what I do - me, Detective Ivan, Vale's very own private eye. I doubt I'll ever get an uglier case than this one... but in a town like Vale, you never know. For now, it's time to enjoy the holiday the best way I know how: with a Lucky Strike and a shot glass.

_FIN_


End file.
